Skoda Kodiaq vRS sets new lap record at Nürburgring

Famed driver Sabine Schmitz set a Nürburgring seven-seater lap record for Skoda behind the wheel of its upcoming Kodiaq vRS hot SUV.

The hotter Kodiaq completed the Nürburgring's 20.82km in 9:29.84min, which is 2:43.96min slower than the four-wheel-drive lap record set by the Nio EP9 last year, and 1:38.14min slower than the current SUV lap record holder – Alfa Romeo driver, Stelvio Quadrifoglio. It's now the fastest seven-seat SUV to go around the circuit.

Development of the upcoming hot Skoda Kodiaq vRS is well underway, with its launch scheduled for later this year at the Paris motor show. Our sister publication, Autocar UK, confirmed the model last year, and the car was also spotted testing at the Nürburgring.

This will be the second model in Skoda’s hotter vRS line-up, which currently only consists of the Octavia vRS. The UK and Germany will be sales hot spots for this variant given that, in Britain, 20 percent of Octavia sales are of the vRS edition. The Octavia vRS is available in both petrol and diesel, but the bulk of its sales are for the latter.

Our sources at Skoda say the Kodiaq vRS will have “lots of torque” and is expected to be fitted with a 2.0-litre diesel bi-turbo engine delivering 240hp, which is already in use in the Volkswagen Tiguan. The same engine is also likely to make it into the next Octavia vRS, due in 2020.

Skoda has confirmed that the Kodiaq vRS will also get Dynamic Chassis Control – the VW Group's adaptive suspension system used across high-end cars in the VW, Seat and Skoda brands. It will offer different drive modes similar to the Octavia vRS – Eco, Comfort, Normal and Sport. However, it's not yet clear if any off-road-focused drive mode will be offered.

The Kodiaq vRS is likely to come close to the power figures of the VW Tiguan 2.0 BiTDi BMT 240 4Motion. Given its extra heft, though, it probably won't match them. The Tiguan produces 243hp and 500Nm of torque, which helps it accelerate to 100kph in 6.5sec (the same as a current-generation Ford Focus ST or Lotus Elise Sport). The car's top speed is 228kph – the same as a Ford Fiesta ST200. In comparison, the Octavia vRS TDI 4x4 puts out 183hp and 380Nm of torque, reaches 100kph in 7.6sec and also tops out at 228kph.

The performance SUV is likely to get the four-wheel-drive system from the Octavia vRS as standard, rather than being offered in front-wheel-drive form with 4WD as an option.

The brand previously sold a Fabia vRS before ending its production in 2013 due to poor sales. However, Skoda is understood to be planning a return to the hot hatchback market with a Fabia vRS hybrid in 2020.